The Community Leader Internship Program (CLIP) provides summer employment opportunities and a program of civic leadership development for college students. The program’s key goals are:

1. To enhance students’ personal skills as well as to improve their ability to find meaningful employment in our region upon college graduation;
2. To introduce area nonprofit organizations, government entities and businesses to students through the placement with their organizations; and,
3. To offer a collaborative way for employers, nonprofits and foundations to work collectively to improve our region’s potential workforce for the future.

The Foundation seeks applications from students for participation in the program as well as interest inquiries from potential host sites (non-profit agencies, government entities, and for-profit businesses) for placement opportunities for students.

Information for Student Applicants

To apply for consideration for participation in the Community Leader Internship Program, a student must:

• Be a current resident of Brooke, Hancock, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel or Tyler Counties in West Virginia, or Belmont or Jefferson County in Ohio;

• Satisfactorily complete at least his/her first semester of freshman year of study at an accredited institution of higher learning (including vocational study, community college study, college or university study including graduate student education) with a minimum of a 2.0 or higher grade point average;

• Sincerely desire to participate in a program of civic education and summer employment and be willing and able to work a full time schedule in a nonprofit, business or government organization, with placement at the Foundation’s discretion;

• Be committed to full time employment during the Internship period, to interacting in a positive manner with other program Interns and staff at the assigned workplace;

• Be committed to completing the full duration of the program; (vacation time is discouraged)

• Be aware that while he/she will be placed at a position most closely proximate to his/her home, every Friday all Interns will be required to physically attend a program in Wheeling, WV; and,

• Have the long-term personal goal of returning to the Upper Ohio Valley upon graduation.

Please review the Community Leader Internship Program Student Guidelines for detailed information on the program’s purpose, time-frame, compensation, and work expectations: student-guidelines

Applications can be accessed through Foundant Technologies. There is a separate application based upon your status in our program (i.e. 1st year participant, 2nd year participant). The software is designed as grant software for nonprofit organizations. We are using the software in a nonconventional way in order to make the application process easier. Some fields are required to be answered even though it will not be applicable to you such as tax id number. Please enter all 999999 for any such fields.

Please note that when you first access the online application, you will need to create a user name and password. This enables you to work on your application as you are able. For “organization name” please enter your own name. To return to an application that you previously started, use the appropriate link above, then enter your user name and password. Please be certain to make note of your user name and password as you will need that information to return to your application. When you have completed your application, be certain to click the submit button at the end of the application. You should receive an e-mail confirmation indicating that we have received your application.

Information for Host Applicants

Eligibility to submit a Placement Proposal is limited to nonprofit organizations, governmental institutions and businesses in the following counties: Brooke, Hancock, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel or Tyler Counties in West Virginia, or Belmont or Jefferson County in Ohio. Entities proposing a placement cannot be guaranteed assignment of an Intern as placements depend upon the unique needs of the student applicants. Interns will be matched to regional placement opportunities according to their career goals and self-development needs. To be considered as a host site:

• Placements proposed must not be of a menial or routine nature (e.g., not more than 20% of the proposed placement should reflect tasks that are clerical or menial).

• Adequate supervision for the Intern must be available at all times.

• The host must identify a host site Mentor for the Intern (this person may or may not be the host site Supervisor) who can aid the Intern with day-to-day issues.

• The host site must be compliant with all pertinent safety regulations, etc., according to the nature of its type of worksite or industry – any safety equipment needed must be identified in the Placement Proposal and the host must plan to furnish it.

• A dedicated workspace must be available, with telephone and/or Internet access as appropriate.

• All worksites must be fully accessible; if there are any accessibility limitations possible (e.g., stairs) those must be identified in the Placement Proposal.

• Any special work requirements must be identified in advance in the Placement Proposal (e.g., ability to lift up to “x” lbs; ability to stand for periods of time, etc.).

• Any skills that would be appropriate to strong job performance must be identified in advance in the Placement Proposal.

• The host Mentor or Supervisor must plan to provide a brief orientation to the particular work site for an Intern, if assigned.

• Hosts may not request or select a particular Intern – host selection is the purview of the independent Advisory Committee; this is essential to supporting the tax-deductible nature of gifts to the fund from which the students are paid.

• If selected, the host site Mentor or Supervisor must be willing to serve as the host organizational representative and attend a brief orientation at the Foundation Office prior to the start of the program.

• The host Mentor must be willing to meet with the Program Director twice during the course of an Intern placement as the Director conducts a site visit.

There is no cost to the host for participation in the program. Please review the Community Leader Internship Program Placement Opportunity Guidelines for detailed information on the program’s purpose, time-frame, and host-site expectations for more information on the program: host guidelines

To apply to be a host for a 2022 Intern, click here to access the online application. The internship program will run from June 6 through July 22, 2022.

Please note that when you first access the online application, you will need to create a user name and password. . This enables you to work on your application as you are able. To return to an application that you previously started, use the appropriate link above, then enter your user name and password. Please be certain to make note of your user name and password as you will need that information to return to your application. When you have completed your application, be certain to click the submit button at the end of the application. You should receive an e-mail confirmation indicating that we have received your application. If you do not receive this confirmation email, please check your junk mail.